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Upgrading to Windows XP Pro from
Windows NT/2000

Upgrading from Windows NT 4.0 or 2000 to
Windows XP is, unlike the
9x/Me upgrade, guaranteed to be relatively painless for
most users. This is because Windows XP is simply the
next version of the NT/2000 product family, and it
doesn't represent a major architectural change from
those previous versions. As you probably know, Windows
2000 was to have been called Windows NT 5.0 before the
marketing droids at Microsoft got a hold of it. Well, on
that note, XP is really NT 5.1, a version number that
should conjure up images of a relatively minor upgrade.

And it is, especially
for Windows 2000 users. This is because, at its heart,
XP is simply Windows 2000 with a new task-based user
interface, improved application and hardware
compatibility, and other small features. During the
development of Windows 2000, Microsoft did all the hard
work of making the NT 4.0 upgrade as seamless as
possible, and this work is carried over for XP. For 2000
users, the upgrade is even simpler, because there are
relatively few changes under the hood. All in all, most
modern PCs running NT 4.0 or 2000 should be easily
upgradeable to XP.

A cautionary note,
however. Unlike the 9x/Me upgrade, the NT/200 does not
offer any uninstallation capabilities, so it's a one way
street: Once you begin the upgrade, the only way back to
your previous OS is to wipe out the hard drive and
reinstall from scratch. For this reason, I advise
carefully backing up your files and settings before
proceeding with the upgrade. Not coincidentally,
Microsoft offers a tool that does just this, the Files
and Settings Transfer Wizard. But this tool will only
restore your backup to an XP box, so it might be better
to use a traditional backup program for this just in
case.

Understanding NT 4.0-specific issuesWindows NT
4.0 users upgrading to Windows 2000 or XP won't get the
benefit of the new directory structure, which places
user profiles in the C:\Documents and Settings
folder by default, rather than C:\WINNT\Profiles.
It's not a big deal, but NT 4.0 systems upgraded to
2000/XP will retain the old directory structure.

Also, the version of
NTFS used in XP is much more recent than that used in
NT. As I recall, NT 4.0 SP5 added support for NTFS 3,
which was used in Windows 2000. XP, however, uses NTFS
3.1, so if you decide to later wipe out XP for some reason
and reinstall NT, you'll have to remove the XP
partition, re-create it, and format it again during NT
Setup.

Pre-installation checklistBefore you
upgrade to XP, there are just a couple of things to
think about.

1.
Don't bother with the latest system updates
- Because XP includes the latest security and product
updates from Microsoft, there's precious little reason
to update the system before upgrading.

2. Run scan disk and the disk
defragmenter before upgrading. Upgrading to
XP is going to cause a lot of damage to the structure of
files on your system, so you might as well clean it
up first. You're going to want to defrag the disk after
installation too, however, but getting the hard disk off
on the right foot will speed the upgrade.

3. Run the
Upgrade Advisor
and see whether you're going to need any updated
drivers or software updates. If so, download them now and have them on the
hard drive so you can install them after XP is
installed.

4. Backup - As previously mentioned,
backup your critical data. There is no way back if the
XP upgrade fails for some reason.

OK, let's take the
plunge and upgrade to XP.

Step-by-Step: Upgrading Windows NT/2000 to Windows XPUpgrading
Windows NT/2000 to Windows XP is a straightforward
process. In the following example, a typical Windows
2000 Professional system is upgraded to Windows XP
Professional, but the steps are identical for NT 4.0 as
well.

1. Insert the Windows XP
CD-ROM
When you insert the Windows XP CD-ROM, you will be
confronted by the front-end application shown here.
Select Install Windows XP to continue.

2.
Choose an installation type
When the Setup wizard begins, it will prompt you to
choose between an upgrade and a clean install. An
upgrade will take your existing operating system and
upgrade it to Windows XP, and this is the option we
will select here. You can choose clean install if
you'd like to overwrite the existing OS or install
XP in a dual-boot situation.

3.
License agreement and product keyNext, you'll have to agree to Microsoft's
complex licensing agreement. Among the highlights:
You don't actually own Windows XP and you can only
install it on one PC. In the next step, you enter
your product key, which is found on an orange
sticker attached to the XP CD's jewel case.

4.
Get updated Setup files
If you're connected to the Internet, Setup will next
ask you whether it can update itself over the
Internet using the new Dynamic Updates technology. I
strongly recommend you do this, as Microsoft will be
updating XP Setup with new critical updates and
driver additions over time, and this will ensure
that your copy of XP is as up-to-date as possible
when first installed.

5.
Upgrade report
This step duplicates the functionality of the
Upgrade Advisor, which we discuss in part two of the
XP Installation and Upgrade Super Guide. You should
make note of any software or hardware issues that
are found during this step.

In this shot, a preinstalled application, EZ CD
Creator 4, is found to be incompatible with Windows
XP. When you click the Details button, you can find
out more information about the problem

6. Updating Setup
At this point, Setup is updated and some boot files
are copied to the PC. Setup will then automatically
reboot the computer. If you see a message about
pressing any key to boot from the CD-ROM at this
point, do not do so: Your PC has been configured to
boot Setup off the hard drive.

7. Preparing
installation
In this phase of Setup, more files are copied to
your computer in preparation for installation. Then,
it will reboot again. As before, be sure to not hit
any key if your PC prompts you to do so to boot off
the CD-ROM.

8.
Installing WindowsIn this Setup phase, Windows XP installs
devices and the network, then copies and configures
the other files needed to install XP. The Start Menu
items are installed, and then components are
registered.

9.
Finalizing installationIn the final phase of Setup, program and
system settings are upgraded, settings are saved,
and, finally, temporary files are removed. Then the
system reboots again.

10.
Welcome to Microsoft WindowsThe first time that XP boots, you are
presented with the Out of Box Experience (OOBE),
which lets you connect to the Internet, activate
Windows, and optionally register Windows. When this
is complete, you are presented with your XP desktop.

Post-upgrade tasksOnce Windows XP
is installed, it's time to perform a few
post-installation tasks:

1. Test installed software. Check to see
that your software programs all work as before. If any
do not, attempt to reinstall them using the original
setup disks, or check the Web sites for the specific
applications to see whether there are any updates. If
any are still not working, open up Help and Support and
navigate to the Fixing a problem link under
Pick a Help Topic. There, you will find help about
solving application and software problems.

2. Test installed hardware. Make sure all
of your hardware works. Open up Device Manager (Open the
Start menu, right-click My Computer, choose
Properties, then go to the Hardware Tab and click
Device Manager) and make sure all of your hardware
was detected and has working drivers. If any do not--as
evidenced by a yellow bang next to the hardware device's
name, right-click and choose Update Driver. This
will launch the Hardware Update Wizard. The first time
around, ensure the XP CD-ROM is still in the drive, and try the option titled Install the software
automatically (Recommended). If this doesn't work,
visit the hardware maker's site and see if there is an
updated XP-compatible driver. If this fails, open up
Help and Support and navigate to the Fixing a problem
link under Pick a Help Topic. There, you will
find further help about solving hardware and system
device problems.

3. Run Windows Update to make sure
your system is up-to-date.
There are already many updates for Windows XP on
Windows Update, so you
should visit this immediately after upgrading. You may need to
reboot after certain updates, and some updates will
require you to install them individually. Keep
installing and rebooting until you've got them all.

4. Defrag your system drive. During an
upgrade, your system drive is going to become heavily
fragmented. To defragment this drive, open My Computer,
right-click the drive (typically C:) and choose
Properties. Navigate to the Tools tab and select
Defragment Now.

5. Customize the system further.
At this point, you might want to configure
the wallpaper, screensaver, and other features,
especially if these features weren't carried over from
your previous Windows version for some reason. Windows
XP configuration occurs in a number of places, but some
hot-spots include:

Display Properties - Right-click an empty area of
the background and choose Properties.

Where to go from here...Hopefully,
everything went well, and in general, NT/2000 upgrades
to XP are fairly straightforward. But if it's possible, I recommend going the clean
install route for the best results. I'll explore that in
my next showcase,
the Windows XP clean install (Interactive Setup).